Flexible conduit coupling for shellless washers and the like



L. ZIMARIK June 29, 1943.

FLEXIBLE CONDUIT COUPLING FOR SHELL-LESS WASHERS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 11, 1940 2 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. LOUIS ZIMARIK A TTORNEYS.

L. ZIMARIK June 29, 1943.

FLEXIBLE CONDUIT COUPLING FOR SHELL-LESS WASHERS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 11, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm m in 5 me 3 mu 7 2 2 mm N w.. I

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mm 3 m 0 o 3 0 0 0 3 n 5 5 I m I a @\w I I I 1 wn I NM I INVENTOR LOUIS ZIMARIK BY aw M ATTORNEYS j The container is anismfjincluding rollers irictionally engaged with peripheralfl tracks on the container; and these roliersYare' of yielding material, fas rubber, and" Y hencedistort or flatten slightly during operation,

Patented June 29, 1943 UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE FLEXIBLE CONDUIT COUPLING FOR SHELL- LESS WASHERS AND THE LIKE Louis. Zimarlk, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to The Prosperity Company, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of New York Appllcatlon'beeember 11, 1940, Serial No. 369,655

1, Claim. ,(Cl. 285-910) "Ihis invention relates to containers for receiving a liquid in which articles are processed. treated or washed, which container is rotatable about an axis, usually ahorizontal axis, as forf;

instance, the container'br washing drum of a v so-called shell-less" washer,.and has for its ob ject a simple, compact and durable conduit ,cou-

,pling'for the liquid or fluid to'be fed into the container, which conduit is arranged coaxially I with the, axis of rotation oi the container, and

so constructed as to compensate for axial mis- I alinements during the rotation of the container,

" and also a simple, compact and durable coupling for a fluid'under pressure, aslair, also arranged j coaxiallywith the axis of rotation, this pipe ,conductingthe air to pressure-operated actuators gor motors which operate instrument-antics associated and rotatable with thecontainer, as for,

. @Jinstance, peripheral dump valves for the con-,

tainer. I

:1 It also has for its object the relative arrange- "ment f of the fluid conduit,

flexible couplings.

the air pipe and the actuated or rotated mechand cause shifting of; the axis of rotation of the container.

the washing drum is perforated, so that the fluid ,may pass from the sump through the pertora- ,tio'ns into the washing drum and from the wash- Iing drum through the perforations back to the sump. v p

I designates the container for receiving the articles to be washed or processed and the washing fluid or liquid, this being mounted to rotate ,about a,horizontal axis. v ,rollers mounted upon shafts! suitably mounted on the base ":Of the machinepthese driving rollers being frictionallyengaged with peripheral T tracks or, channels! near'opposite ends of the container. j' 'ilfhere are" two shafts I with the I rollers 2 thereon coacting with the-drum on op-.

z designates driving flpositesides thereof, The drum or container rests'nn the rollers; \Theflshaits s are actuated by electric motors, as 6, mounted on the base I [and connected through'couplings 'I to the shafts 3, therebei'ngione motor for each shaft.

1 The control of the motors or the actuating Mmechanism, consisting of the motors 6, shafts l d I a and rollers 2, forms no part. of this invention.

.I v The rollers are of a yielding or rubber material,

Land during their operationoi driving the con- 1 {.tainer I flatten slightly ordistort, causing shift 5,

ing of the axis of rotation of the container l.

-The container I is provided with pressure-op- C erated instrumentalities, as dump valves 8, these The conduit coupling means forming the sub lect matter of this invention is constructed to compensate for the shifting of the axis, so that the liquid or fluid inlet conduit and the air pipe remain" leak-proof.

.H'Iheinventionj consists in the novel features being located in the periphery of the intermediate portion of the drum, and hence are rotatable as a unit with the drum. When the valves 8 are open, the water in the drum is dumped into a trough or shell 9 from which it flows into a and in the combinations and constructions here- Linai'ter set forthand claimed; 1

lfn'descr ib g' this invention, reference is had to tl'ilej accompanyingl drawings in which like ,Icharacter'sjdesignate corresponding parts in all "ftheviews.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, I

tainer or washing drum, which forms a sump for In the washing machines 9 provided with an outer casing serving as a sump,v 60

the washing fluid.

, drain or the like. These valves are operated by pressure-operated actuators or motors, the pressure fluid being usually compressed air. The

drum is also provided with a loading and un-' loadin door Ii at one end thereof. The construction of the drum per se and of the valves 8 forms no part of this invention.

The washing fluid, and the air for operating the valves 8, are conducted into the drum through the head thereof at a point coaxial or concentric with the axis of rotation'of the container or drum I, and as this axis of rotation shift during the operation, coupling means is provided both in the liquid conduit and the airpipe to compensate for the shiftingof the-axis of rotation and maintain the joints in the conduit and the pipe leaf-proof under all conditions."

The compensating coupling mean will nowbe described.

' l2 designates a .fixedintake conduit having a portion l3 arranged coaxially or concentric with the-axis of rotation of the container i and spaced apart from the container. is designates an intermediate conduit section flexibly connected to the portion and axially slidable, and flexibly coupled to the container at its other end. The

fixed conduit I2 communicates with a suitable source of supply oi liquid, this being in a laundry washing machine, a source of supply oi water, the source here shown being a tank I! in which the fluid is prepared, as to temperature, quantity and ingredients, preliminary to being fed into the container I. The flow from the tank II is controlled by a valve II. The major part or body of the conduit I2 is, in this embodiment of the. invention, shown at an angle to the axial line of the container I and the valve stem II extends axially--through the major part or body or the conduit l2 crosswise of the axis 01 rotation, to the outside of the major part or body of the conduit I2, where it coacts with operating means to be here nafter described.

I 8 designates a vent pipe for venting the interior of the container I. It also serves as an overflow pipe for the tank IS. The flexible coupling between one end of the conduit section I4 and the portion I30! the conduit II, as her shown, consist 01' an annular outwardly extending flexible diaphragm is secured at its inner margin at 20 to the conduit I4 and at its outer margin at II to the alined portion I3 of the conduit I2. The flexible and sliding coupling between the other end of the conduit I4 and the container I, as here illustrated, consists of a laminated packing 22 suitably clamped at the outer end of a hub 23 on the adjacent end or head of the container I, the lamination being arranged edgewise relative to the periphery of the conduit section I4, so that relative axial movement between the container and the conduit section l4 can take place during the shifting oi the axis of rotation of the container I and the joint between the lamination of the packing 22 and the periphery of the conduit section l4 remains tight or leak-proof. As the conduit section I4 is not rotatable and the container is rotatable, this coupling or packing serves as a flexible swivel. joint.

The liquid discharges from the end of the conduit section l4 through the hub into the container, and as here shown, the section I4 discharges into a header 24 which communicates through passages 25 and 26 with lengthwise passages 21 and 28 in the internal ribs in the container I, the passages of the rib having perforate walls through which the liquid can pass during the washing operation, the filling-in operation, and during the dumping operation. This feature of the washing machine forms no part of this invention.

3i designates an air conduit arranged coaxially with the container I and extending axially through the conduit section I4 and through the outer wall of the conduit I2. The conduit 3| is coupled by a swivel joint at 32 to the container I, where it communicates with a radial passage 32 in the hub 23, this passage communicating with a radial passage 34 coupled at 35 to a pipe 36 extending lengthwise of the drum and one of the ribs 29, and then outwardly at 31 to the outside of the periphery of the drum, and thence through a pipe 38 to an annular header 33 which communicates through branches 40 with pressureoperated actuators or motors for operating the valves 3. The actuators of the valves 3 form no part of this invention but is the subject matpip 10 ter of my application, Serial Number 343,231, filed June 29, 1940. These actuators are similar to actuator shown in Figures 3 and 4 ior actuating valve I 6 in supply tank I5 and comprise a diaphragm chamber 4| having a diaphragm 42 therein, the chamber on one side of the dia-- phragm being connected to the air supply pipe II and the diaphragm pressing against the head 43 on the sliding stem I1 of valve head it of the valve in condu t structure I2. The air pipe Si is flexibly connected at its end remote from the container I or the coupling 32, the coupling here shown comprising an annular outwardly extending flexible diaphragm 46 secured at its inner margin to a cup or bushing 41 around the pipe 3i and at its outer margin at 53 to a fixed point. as one wall of the conduit i2. It is here shown as clamped between a cap 5i and the wall of the conduit I2, the pipe opening into the cap and the cap forming a chamber which is connected through a pipe 52 to a source of supply 01' pressure fluid or air. The coupling at the outer end or the pipe 3| also includes a resilient packing or gasket 53 surrounding the outer end of the pipe 3i and interposed between the pipe 3i and the bore of the bushing 41, the gasket being preferably pressed into position by a spring 54.

The valve I 6 is actuated by a pressure-operated means similar to the means for operating the dump valves 8. The flow of air through the air pipe 51 is controlled in any suitable manner, and in washing machine operations, it is usually automatically controlled by a cycle timer.

During the rotation of the drum, the diaphragm I9 and the coupling,including the packing 22, maintains a tight or leak-proof connection during the shifting of the axis of the container I and permit a relative axial or endwise movement of the conduit I4 and the drum, as well as a universal joint action. Also, during the rotation of the drum, the flexible coupling including the diaphragm 48 compensates for the misalinements of the container and the pipe 3| during the shifting of the axis of rotation and also permits endwise movement of the pipe 3| while maintaining the leak-proof swivel joint at 32.

What I claim is:

In a machine which includes a container movable about an axis and having associated and rotatable therewith a pressure operated instrumentality. the container having an axial hub, the

combination of a fluid inlet construction for the container comprising a fixed conduit having a portion arranged coaxially with the container and spaced axially from said hub, and alined therewith, a conduit between said portion and the hub and connected to both to have a flexible joint action and to one to have a sliding action, an

inlet pipe for a pressure fluid for operating said instrumentality, said inlet pipe being arranged coaxially with the container and extending axially through said conduit and conduit portion and connected at one end to have a swivelling action and at its other end to have a universal joint action, and also an axial movement, the fixed conduit being provided with a chamber for connection to a source of pressure fluid, said chamber communicating with the outer end of said LOUIS ZIMARIK. 

